Glastonbury rename John Peel stage following historical sexual abuse claims

03 March 2023 , 15:48

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The Glastonbury stage named after the late DJ John Peel has been renamed (Image: PA)

Glastonbury has renamed their iconic John Peel stage after 18 years, following historic sexual abuse claims against the BBC Radio One DJ.

The sexual abuse allegations included one from a woman who claimed she became pregnant by Peel when she was a 15-year-old school girl in 1969.

Jane Nevin spoke out in 2012 and said she fell pregnant during a three-month affair with the DJ.

The claims sparked a petition last year for the festival to take action.

Now, Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis has said the stage will now be called Woodsies.

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She was adamant, the name change was not in relation to the petition or allegations. Emily says the change is so stages are named after the fields they stand in.

BBC Radio DJ John Peel died in 2004 following a sudden heart attack (PA)

The stage was named after John Peel in 2005 (Ian West/PA Wire)

For example the West Holts and Silver Hayes.

The stage was named after John Peel when it replaced the New Bands Tent in 2005, following the DJ's death aged 65.

Speaking to The Guardian, Emily said: "We've had 20 years of John Peel and it's been an honour to use his name."

Regarding changing the name due to the petition, she added: "I haven't got involved in that because it's not our area.

"We've had a really good relationship with the Peel family and everyone's on board."

There has been sexual abuse claims made against the DJ (Ian West/PA)

One woman claims she became pregnant by Peel when she was 15 (PA)

John Peel died of a sudden heart attack in 2004 and is alleged to have met Jane Nevin when he was 30, at a Black Sabbath concert.

Jane claims to have had sex with Peel in the BBC studio and backstage.

In an interview with The Sunday Correspondent in 1989, Peel said: "Girls used to queue up outside. By and large not usually for sh*****g.

"Oral sex they were particularly keen on, I remember. [...] One of my, er, regular customers, as it were, turned out to be 13, though she looked older.."

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Emily Eavis says the name change isn't to do with the petition or claims (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)

Petition creator Jack Owens requested the name change as he said it was "long overdue".

The petition said: "It's a slap in the face to sexual abuse survivors, women, children and decent people to have to stand in a stage with his name on it, which has the sick words 'teenage dreams so hard to beat' written on the side.

"Please rename it for the next year's festival. He's been put up on pedestal for too long."

A petition was set up last year to change the stage name (Yui Mok/PA)

The Glastonbury stage named after the late DJ John Peel has been renamed (PA)

Peel worked as a DJ and presenter for the BBC from 1967 till 2004. In 1965, he married 15-year-old Shirley Anne Milburn when he was 26.

He later claimed she and her family had lied about her age. They divorced in 1973 and years later she reportedly took her own life.

The news comes the same day as Glastonbury announced 55 more acts to their 2023 lineup.

Arctic Monkeys and Guns N’ Roses are the final two headliners, joining Sir Elton John at the top of the bill.

Mia O'Hare